Caught in the act ... Two office workers at Marsh Ltd in Christchurch did not show up for work on Monday after images of them having sex in the office - taken by patrons at a nearby pub - went viral. Photo: Twitter

Marsh Ltd said the company was "working through it internally" and would not comment further.

When phoned on their office lines, colleagues said the man and woman were "out of the office", and the man did not answer his work mobile phone.

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His wife was not speaking to him and he had been crying "non-stop" since the romp went public, the source said.

The female colleague has deleted her Facebook page.

Online media expert Mark McGuire said the incident showed how much technology had allowed the world to instantly view people's private lives.

The pair were "reckless", he said, and it would be tough for them to argue that they believed no-one would see them, as a cleaner or colleague could have walked in.

"There is almost no border now between private and public because to publish is so easy," he said.

"It does make it harder to get away with something if your actions are made public in a way you can't deny.

"It's something we are going to see more of."

Employment lawyer Kathryn Dalziel said earlier that the pair could not have a "reasonable expectation of privacy" when the encounter took place with windows unobscured, with the lights on and opposite a bar.

The question for Marsh Ltd bosses would be whether the encounter damaged the company's reputation.

If a disciplinary inquiry found the encounter did not amount to serious misconduct, the pair might escape with a warning, she said.

Marsh Ltd chief executive Grant Milne said earlier that the company was taking the matter seriously.

"It's not the type of behaviour we condone. It's very disappointing, " he said.

Online debate

Meanwhile a debate raged on Twitter as to whether the pub patrons were more to blame for recording the affair, which some saw as an invasion of privacy.

How is it that the Marsh Ltd employees caught having sex are in trouble & not the neighbouring bar patrons who taped them without consent? — Young Molly Weasley (@ColeyTangerina)
February 2, 2015